Pancho
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: Nick deals with life after Grave Danger. He will soon realize that his friends and family are always there for him...no matter what.
1. Family

Poncho

Chapter 1

Family

Warrick sat on a bench inside Desert Palms. He had his head in his hands. Catherine was pacing back and forth. Sara was biting her nails. Greg was staring down at the floor. Grissom was looking forward without any emotion at all. Mr. and Mrs. Stokes were equally worried.

It seemed as if Warrick had always been the cool, collected one in the group, but now, he was worried…and scared. Nick had been like a 'brother' to Warrick. They fought over things and laughed. Warrick could have been in that grave had it not been for the flip of a stupid coin.

Sara had a crush on Grissom, but it was just a crush. Sara thought back on all the times Nick and her talked. She knew in that second, it wasn't Grissom she really liked. It was Nick.

Catherine had been worried. She was a mother and a good friend of Nick's. Catherine had been terrified really. All she wanted was for Nick to be fine, but Nick wouldn't be fine. He would live with what Walter did to him.

Greg remembered how nice Nick was to him. Nick had been a good friend. Greg loved to tell Nick about his dates and how he collected their D.N.A. Nick always laughed at Greg.

Grissom was scared. He had never been so scared in his life. He thought he was going to lose Nick. Everyone thought that.

A woman walked out. "Mr. Stokes is fine. He's going to have to stay here for a week because of the fire ant bites. He can see all of you now for about fifteen minutes." The woman said walking down a hall.

The C.S.I's followed her as well as Nick's parents. Nick saw them. He smiled to Warrick. "Hey man, where's that unlucky quarter?" Nick asked scratchily.

Warrick gave a forced laugh. "I still got it." Warrick said.

"Man, you better get rid of that thing fast. It seems to be the cause of this whole mess." Nick said.

"Yeah, it was. I should have gone Nick. It should have been me." Warrick said angrily.

Nick shook his head tiredly. "Nah man, we flipped and I lost. It was fair." Nick said quickly.

"I was so damn worried about you!" Warrick said.

"Yeah and I love you too buttercup…" Nick said smiling.

Warrick remember a case where a man was dead on an airplane and Nick and Warrick pretended to be a married couple to reconstruct the crime scene. Warrick laughed with relief. "Hey Nicky, how do you feel?" Sara asked softly.

"Okay," Nick said quietly.

"Hey Nick, I met this hot girl last night. I've so got to tell you about her." Greg said smiling.

"Look forward to it. She a blonde or redhead?" Nick asked.

"Blonde with big blue eyes, she's got some good D.N.A…" Greg said.

Nick smiled. "Poncho, dear, what happened?" Ms. Stokes asked softly.

Nick looked at his mother. "I was doing my job and my job was to follow the evidence…and so I did." Nick said.

Nick felt cold as he remembered the tape that told him to put the gun in his mouth. How it told him he was going to die. "Nick, don't think this is going to stop you from doing paperwork. You can still write and I've got a stack of paper with your name on it…" Catherine said.

"Great," Nick said sarcastically.

Grissom wasn't too good with people. "Nick, you never let me down." Grissom said quietly away from the group.

Nick turned his head to Grissom. "How'd…?" Nick began.

"I can lip read Nick. You've been and still are a great C.S.I." Grissom said lightly.

"Lousy way to say goodbye, I really thought I was going to die." Nick said very quietly.

"Hey, you've got friends that would never let you down. No, you've got family. You're like a little brother to me." Warrick said.

"You're like an older brother to me." Greg said.

"You're like an annoying little brother to me, but sometimes sweet." Sara answered.

"You're like a son to me," Catherine said smiling.

"You're like a son as well." Grissom said shortly.

"You have good friends' poncho. They didn't sleep looking for you. I don't even know if they ate. They've been so worried about you." Mrs. Stokes said.

"Son, I know how we're all in law enforcement, but do you want to become something less dangerous? First, you had that stalker, a gun pointed in your face several times and now this." Mr. Stokes said.

Nick looked at his parents calmly. "This…this is what I do. I love science and I love my job. Nothing anyone does can change it." Nick said calmly.

"Nick, if you want to do this, it's your choice. I would like to say, I'm proud of you for hanging on. Not many people would have done that." Mr. Stokes said.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I almost lost it a few times. The fan was connected to the light…" Nick muttered.

"Man, I'm sorry. We figured that out after you shot the light out. God, it was me Nicky…" Warrick said.

Nick looked confused. The woman walked in. "It's been nearly twenty five minutes. I'm requesting that everyone, but family leaves. You'll be able to see him again tomorrow at 8:00 AM." The nurse said ushering everyone out except for Mr. and Mrs. Stokes.

Sara laughed in the hall. "We're all family." Sara said.

A/N- I'm going to have a little thing here where it ends season five and then we'll go into season six which aired last night.


	2. New Case

Chapter 2

New Case

Nick had spent most of his time sleeping. Mr. and Mrs. Stokes hardly ever left Nick's side. Everyone made it so that Nick always had someone with him.

Nick insisted that he told everyone what happened. Catherine, Warrick, Grissom, Sara, Greg, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes and Brass were sitting in the room. Brass started a tape recorder. "Now Nick, if you need to stop, go ahead. We've got time." Grissom said lightly.

"No one is making you do this," Greg pointed out.

"And if there are too many people in the room, then just tell us to go," Sara said smiling.

Nick nodded. "I met an officer at the crime scene. I took some photos and noticed some tire treads. I followed those to an evidence bag. It was really odd. It had a plastic cup in it. There weren't any initials on it. I felt someone come behind me, but I blacked out after that. The next thing I knew I was in an SUV and my hands were tied. I tried to kick out the door, but again a white cloth was pushed in my face and it was all black. When I woke up, I was in a small space. I had a few glow sticks, a gun and a tape recorder. Once I realized where I was, I freaked out." Nick said remembering the box.

Nick stopped. He remembered the tiny space that was his prison. Sara held his hand softly. "I…I then listened to the tape…it said, 'Hi, CSI guy. You wondering why you're here? Because you followed the evidence. Because that's what CSIs do. So breathe  
quick, breathe slow, put your gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. Any way  
you like, you're going to die here. Okay.'" Nick said quietly. "And you want to know what the worst part was?"

"What Poncho?" Mrs. Stokes asked.

"I believed him," Nick said bitterly softly. "I lost track of time. The light kept turning on and the fan would go off. I…I shot the light out. The fan turned on and it was…it was wonderful. I was in there for what seemed forever. I began to sing the song I was listening to on the radio before I was kidnapped. I thought a heard you guys. I screamed and screamed for you to hear me, but it was only the box cracking."

Nick didn't want to go on. The memories were far too painful and far too vivid. "Poncho, you don't have to go on." Mr. Stokes said calmly.

Nick nodded. "I know, but I'm going to. The ants came and that was the worst part. They crawled all over me and bit me. I put my latex gloves in my ears. I tried to stay really still, but they bit. I began to have really weird dreams…sort of. David and Dr. Robbins were looking over my body…" Nick began, but he stopped.

"It's okay man," Warrick muttered.

"I don't want to say what I saw. I just remember you guys finding me. I remember how Grissom told me to stay still. You made me promise. You called me poncho. You all buried me in dirt and then pulled me out. The box exploded and everything after that was a blur. Catherine and Warrick were with me somewhere…" Nick said before falling into silence.

Everyone was silent for a while. Brass turned off the tape. "You did it Nicky," Brass said shortly.

"Hey man, we gotta tell you some stuff." Warrick said. "I don't know who you wanna hear it from, but just tell us."

Nick looked at Warrick. "Go ahead and tell me Warrick," Nick said shortly.

"Well, we had received a package with a live web feed. It said 'you can only watch' and when you clicked on the watch button, the light went on. It was my decision to keep the light on. I'm sorry man; I didn't know it was connected to the fan…" Warrick said sadly.

"Yeah, it's okay. You didn't know." Nick said quietly.

"I saw you bring that gun to your face…" Warrick began.

"Yeah, that gun was looking pretty friendly after being in that place for I don't know how long." Nick said softly.

"I swore at you because I thought you killed yourself." Warrick confessed.

Nick nodded. "I would have done the same thing had it been you…" Nick began.

"I wouldn't have made it as long as you." Warrick said shortly. "Anyway, we were given instructions to bring one million dollars to this warehouse. Grissom could probably tell you more about that then I can. He made the drop off."

"Where in the blazes did you get one million dollars?" Nick said shocked.

"An anonymous citizen was kind enough to lend the money," Catherine said.

Catherine and Nick looked into each other's eyes. "You didn't ask Sam, did you?" Nick asked worried.

"Nick, I don't care how the damn press is going to say Sam bought his way out or how we're in Sam's pocket. I was only worried about you at that point." Catherine said quickly.

Nick nodded. "I did the drop off. Walter Gordon was the man the abducted you. I put the money on the floor and he…blew himself up." Grissom said shortly.

Nick looked worried. "Were you alright?" Nick asked.

"A few cuts, but I was fine. The point was, the guy that buried you blew himself up and he was the only one that knew where you were buried." Grissom said.

"We went to the warehouse and processed the scene. Warrick almost killed me." Greg said looking at Warrick.

"He did what?" Nick asked.

"He was screaming about how we could care about processing this scene when you could be dying. We tried to tell him that it would help find you, but he kicked a few things over and compromised the crime scene. It was oil or something he knocked over and I noticed it seeped through the floor." Greg said sadly.

Catherine nodded. "We thought we found you. We dug frantically…and it was a dead dog. We were so…crushed. We thought we found you." Catherine said shaking her head.

"I talked to Kelly Gordon whose Walter Gordon's daughter. She said she hoped you died." Sara said.

"Grissom here saw the fire ants and he figured out that fire ants are only around nurseries. Kelly worked at a nursery. We found the nursery." Greg explained.

"I guess bugs do help us." Nick said. "I still hate them though…"

Grissom smiled. "I had found where the web cam signal was coming from. I tripped over the pipe where you were getting your oxygen. We dug you up and the rest you know." Catherine said smiling.

"Thanks," Nick said shortly.

"Nick, you've been one of my best friends. It's the least I could do after all you've done for me. I think I can say that for everyone." Warrick said.

"Nicky, why was it you?" Mrs. Stokes asked.

"We flipped a coin to see who was going to do what case. Nick got the trash trail. I don't think Walter meant for anyone to come on purpose. It was just a twist of fate. It could have been anyone of us." Warrick explained. "Nick, you handled it very well. I couldn't do what you did. I know I would have shot myself."

"Warrick, you make me sound so brave, I'm not. I was going to right before you rescued me. I was so close." Nick said.

"But you didn't do it!" Warrick argued.

"I would have…" Nick began.

"No, you wouldn't have!" Warrick said.

"Warrick! Calm down!" Catherine said sharply.

"Yeah man, you need to take a seat," Greg said getting a chair for Warrick.

Warrick sat in silence. He wanted to say something, but he knew if he opened his mouth, some foul would come out. Grissom wasn't sure what to do. He had to change the subject for not only Nick and Warrick's sake, but his own. "Did you guys hear about that cockroach convention?" Grissom asked.

"No," Sara said oddly. "I don't like bugs."

"Well, there's been this…" Grissom began.

"Gil, I don't think anyone here really cares." Catherine said.

"Hey, it's better than just sitting in silence." Grissom said quickly.

"Gil, may I have a word with you outside?" Catherine asked.

Grissom nodded. He followed Catherine outside. "What is this about?" Grissom asked.

"Gil, you haven't been too observant, have you?" Catherine asked.

Grissom shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about Catherine." Grissom said.

Catherine sighed. "Exactly, Nick was being eaten alive. Think, he's not going to like to listen or see any bugs after that." Catherine said piercingly.

"Oh," Grissom said lightly.

Grissom looked around. "Gil," Catherine said softly.

"Yes," Grissom answered.

"I'm sorry I used such a sharp tone, I just want Nick to be alright." Catherine said gently.

Grissom shook his head and looked into her eyes. "Nick won't ever be alright." Grissom said softly.

"We'll have to there for him. It's the least we can do." Catherine said.

"Right," Grissom agreed.

Catherine smiled. "You reminded me of my mother." Grissom said. "You made me feel so…awful about what I said."

"It's a mother thing." Catherine said smiling walking back into the room.

Catherine's beeper went off. "Ugh…another case. Well I'm a little short handed; I was short handed to begin with, anyway…" Catherine said fading off. "Do you want to stay?" Catherine asked softly.

"No, you need help…" Warrick began.

Catherine smiled. "Yeah I do, but Nick needs you more than I ever will." Catherine said walking out the door.

"Catherine," Sara said.

"What?" Catherine asked.

"Be careful," Sara said.

Catherine smiled. "I will," Catherine promised.

Catherine and Sara had been always walking on glass. Sometimes, they liked each other, other times, they could kill each other.

It was new case. It was a new day. It was…a new life.

A/N- Okay guys and gals I'm doing this story in live time now. We've ended season five now. The next chapters will be affected by what happened on season six, so I'm going to be doing this in live time, which is going to be hard and confusing, so…let's go! I always enjoy a challenge.

Kylie Anderson


	3. Thinking

Chapter 3

Thinking

Nick had gone back to work. He had been with his friends. They didn't push him. They didn't ask him questions. They accepted it. They lived with it. Could he?

Nick had been a little surprised to hear Warrick had gotten married. He knew Catherine was pissed and she wasn't very good at hiding it from the entire lab. Warrick even noticed.

Grissom. Nick thought a lot about him. He never seemed fazed. He was just…calm. When he had been in the box, Grissom calmly called him Poncho, his childhood nickname. Grissom had never been one to show too much emotion, so Nick wondered what Grissom really felt.

Sara. Sara seemed to be worried, but she never let him know. She always tried to help. Just by simply asking if he wanted a sandwich, she had shown him she cared and would be there. Nick wondered if Sara even noticed everything she was doing for him by just saying a few simple words.

Greg. Greg didn't seem so perky. He was just a normal boring C.S.I. Nick always loved his dates where Greg would get their D.N.A or when Greg played music too loudly or when Greg played 'Name that Chemical Compound'. Nick always liked Greg more than anyone else except for Warrick. Greg was like the little kid brother Nick never had. Nick had plenty of sisters and only one other brother.

Catherine. Catherine didn't seem to say too much. Nick knew that Catherine asked Sam for the money for the drop off. He always knew Catherine had always been a bossy, but kind motherly figure. He couldn't imagine how Catherine acted when she learned Nick had been kidnapped.

Warrick. Warrick seemed to be in a rush to marry Tina, but Nick didn't know everything, so he guessed that it had nothing to do with his ordeal. Warrick always had been so…funny. Now Warrick was beating himself up for flipping a coin. It was Nick's idea to flip the coin. It could have been Warrick.

"Nick…" Greg called from the door.

Nick turned. He noticed he was sitting in the locker room staring into space thinking about his friends. "Yeah," Nick said standing up.

"I was just going to tell you shift starts soon." Greg said quietly.

Nick nodded. "Thanks Greg, I've got about ten minutes before shift and there's something I need to do." Nick said as he walked down the hall.

"Sure," Greg said walking the opposite.

"Hey Greg," Nick said turning.

Greg turned to him. "Yeah?" Greg asked.

"Don't change," Nick said walking on.

Nick saw Sara in the break room sipping a coffee slowly. "Sara," Nick said softly at the door.

"Yeah," Sara said looking up.

"Thanks," Nick said shortly.

Sara looked confused. "Thanks for what?" Sara asked.

Nick smiled and shrugged. He left down the hall. Warrick was sitting looking over a case file. "Why are you doing it?" Nick asked quietly.

Warrick looked up. "What are you talking about? I've got my job to do. You know that's why we get a fat paycheck each week…" Warrick said smiling.

"You know what I mean Warrick. You're beating yourself up. It was just an act of faith." Nick said softly.

Warrick sighed. "I don't know. I know I couldn't have changed it, but…it's just human." Warrick said shortly.

"I don't want to make you feel guilty." Nick said.

Warrick smiled. It was like Nick to think of others before of himself. "I'm fine, but I was worried about you." Warrick said.

"I'll be fine. I've got some other things to do before shift starts." Nick said leaving.

"Later," Warrick called after him.

Nick saw Catherine packing up boxes in her office. "Going somewhere?" Nick asked.

"Now that I'm among the mortal C.S.I's, I no longer have an office. I'm packing up." Catherine explained smiling.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing." Nick said shortly.

"Good, you?" Catherine asked gently.

"Good, thanks Cath, and you know why." Nick said.

Catherine smiled. "I heard you're going around telling people thanks for odd reasons, but I think I do know why you're thanking me. I think Gil is the only one you haven't seen…right?" Catherine asked.

"How do you know?" Nick asked surprised.

"Lab techs…they know everything." Catherine said smiling.

Nick laughed. Catherine smiled. It was so good to hear him laugh again. "Yeah, well I'm off to go duct tape those lab techs mouths…" Nick joked.

"I'm all for it. I would like to duct tape Greg, but he's not a lab tech anymore." Catherine said smiling.

"Right," Nick said leaving and looking around for Grissom.

Nick saw Grissom in the audio room with Archie. As he approached, he heard a familiar voice. "Hello C.S.I guy…" it said.

Nick stopped cold in his tracks. Grissom noticed Nick. "Stop it," Grissom said to Archie, but he knew it was too late.


	4. Fights

Chapter 4

Fights

Archie stopped it quickly. Nick looked at them for a second before turning down the hall. Grissom walked after him. "I'm sorry Nick, I didn't see you coming." Grissom said softly.

Nick shook his head and stopped. "That's not what bothers me…well it does, but what bothers me more is that you didn't tell me you were listening to the tape." Nick said.

"I didn't want to scare you." Grissom said.

"Why were you listening to it? How did you get it?" Nick asked quickly.

"Someone found it and I'm listening to it to make sure we've crossed our T's and dotted our I's." Grissom said shortly.

Nick looked into Grissom's face for a long time. "There's more to it, isn't there?" Nick asked softly.

Grissom sighed. "Do you want the truth and can you handle it?" Grissom muttered to himself.

"Grissom, I want and can handle the truth." Nick said sharply.

Grissom looked at him sadly. "Nick, we believe that Walter may have had an accomplice in abducting you as he wasn't strong enough to lift you up alone." Grissom said.

Nick was shocked. Someone was still out there. Nick didn't realize he was beginning to cry. He was just overcome by emotion. Grissom didn't seem to know what to do.

Warrick walked out to start shift when he saw Nick crying softly and Grissom standing silently. Warrick rushed over to his friend. "Nicky…" Warrick began.

Warrick put his hand on Nick's shoulder. "What happened Grissom?" Warrick asked concerned.

"Nick overheard Archie and I listening to the tape. I just told him that I believe that Walter Gordon may have had an accomplice." Grissom said shortly.

Warrick looked surprised. "You think he had an accomplice? What in the hell is going on in this lab Gil? We're falling apart and you can't even see it! Nick was fine. He thought he had justice until you told him. Why did you tell any of us? Can't we be trusted?" Warrick asked angrily.

All the lab techs looked out into the hall. Catherine, Sara and Greg walked into the hall. "Warrick calm down!" Greg shouted.

Warrick was shouting. Nick wasn't too sure how to act. Sara was silently watching. "Everyone shut up!" Catherine shouted.

Everyone was surprised by her tone and anger in her voice. They all fell silent. "Okay look, Sara, go into Grissom's office and get a slip. Greg, go with her. I want you two to work on cases. Nick, take a break and go home. I'll be seeing both Warrick and Grissom in private." Catherine said forcefully.

Sara, Greg and Nick cleared away. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Catherine asked.

Warrick spoke before Grissom could say anything. "Grissom here thinks that there might have been an accomplice to the Walter Gordon case. He told Nick. Nick was upset and I…" Warrick began.

"Overreacted," Grissom finished.

Warrick looked angry. Catherine intervened before something could happen. "Look, I don't know what's going on. Warrick, you need to calm down before you can do anything. Take a break for today and go home. Grissom, get a hold of yourself and run this team." Catherine said.

"Catherine, you don't see it either. Our team is being split apart emotionally…" Warrick began.

Catherine cut him off. "Oh shut up Warrick. I wasn't born yesterday. I've noticed that Nick's ordeal has changed us. Sara's starting to show Nick her feelings. You married Tina. Greg isn't his perky self. I'm always angry and trying to run this team which is something Grissom can't seem to do. Grissom, you're being blind to the whole situation. Poor Nick doesn't know what to do. I know Warrick." Catherine said angrily.

"Okay, look, let's just do our job." Grissom said after Catherine was done.

Catherine shook her head. "Gil, we can't do our job just yet. Warrick's right. We're different than we were before." Catherine said sadly.

"There's nothing we can do Cath. We're different. Humans always change and adapt to changes. I'm always going to be here for everyone." Grissom said lightly.

Catherine nodded. "I know that Grissom, but your team, needs to hear that." Catherine said softly.

Nick, Sara and Greg walked around the corner. "We didn't mean to eavesdrop. All of you were talking so loudly…" Greg began.

"Save it," Warrick said bitterly.

"Hey Warrick?" Nick said quietly.

"Yeah?" Warrick said.

"When you said I had justice, I didn't. Not if another guy is still out there. I'm…glad Grissom is trying to find this guy." Nick said inaudibly.

Warrick heard him. "I'm glad to." Warrick said shortly.

Catherine let out a small laugh. "Why were we yelling and fighting again?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know," Grissom said shortly.

Catherine smiled. "Now, I want Sara, Greg, Warrick, Grissom and myself to get slips. Nick, do you want to stay at work?" Catherine asked gently.

"Yes," Nick said.

Catherine smiled again. "Then come on," Catherine said in a calm tone.

"Catherine, may I please run my team?" Grissom asked.

"Oh sorry," Catherine said.

Grissom handed out assignments and the fight left his mind for a minute, but it would return, bringing Grissom to the reality that his team would never be the same.


	5. Questions

Chapter 5

Questions

Grissom sat silently. Catherine was pacing up and down in his office. "How in the world did this happen?" Catherine asked quickly.

Grissom shook his head. "We tell no one on our team. It'll just be between us, Brass and the lab techs…" Grissom began.

"What are we going to do when the press finds out?" Catherine hissed.

Grissom sighed. "I don't know." Grissom confessed.

Nick walked in. "Hey you guys, are there any assignments today? Or are we just not going to work?" Nick said jokingly.

Catherine looked at Grissom quickly. "Um…no. There aren't any assignments Nick. We'll call you if we get a case. You can tell Greg, Sara and Warrick the same." Catherine said quickly.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Be thankful people aren't out killing other people." Grissom said quietly.

Nick nodded. "Right, I'll tell Sara, Greg and Warrick." Nick said leaving.

Once Nick had closed the door behind him and they were sure he was out of range, Catherine and Grissom began to talk again. Catherine had tears in her eyes. "Oh Gil, how are we going to do this?" Catherine said softly.

"Do what?" Greg said peering in.

Warrick, Sara and Nick were behind him. "Greg, please not this time." Catherine begged softly.

"What's going on?" Sara asked.

"We have to tell them Catherine." Grissom said.

"No. This is for their own good." Catherine said.

Grissom shook his head. "No, it's not Catherine. There's been another murder. A woman was buried in a 2x2x6 Plexiglas glass coffin with a gun, a tape recorder and several green glow sticks. When the dayshift coroner lifted out the body, the box exploded, but the wiring wasn't done right, so no one was killed, just injured." Grissom explained.

Nick was frozen. "Why me?" Nick asked shortly.

Sara put her hand on his shoulder. "Grissom and I are doing this case. I want the rest of you to go home." Catherine said.

Warrick opened his mouth, but Grissom put up his hand. "I'm with Catherine on this one. We can handle this case." Grissom said.

"Come on Nick, you can come with me to my house. Tina's working so we can kick butt on my new PS system…" Warrick began.

"No, there's something I need to do…" Nick said walking away.

Grissom looked deep into the eyes of Warrick, Sara and Catherine. Sara closed her eyes for a minute and then she opened them. "I'm going home." Sara said walking away.

"I'm worried." Warrick stated.

Catherine touched his shoulder gently. "We all are. Nick will be fine though. Warrick, I worried about you as well. How are you doing?" Catherine asked.

"Okay," Warrick shrugged it off. "I better get home."

After Warrick left Catherine sighed. "What are we going home to every night? I'm going home to a twelve year old girl who hates me. Sara, what's she going home to? Warrick's got a wife. Nick, he's got nightmares I'm sure. What about you Gil?" Catherine asked.

"Questions," Grissom answered softly.

A/N- Sorry this took so long to get up. I've been busy with school.


	6. Not Giving Up

Chapter 6

Not Giving Up

Catherine and Grissom arrived at the crime scene. Grissom played the tape. "Hello. Do you want to know why you're here? Well, since you're going to be here awhile, a man named Nick Stokes was buried much as you are. He got out alive. My partner killed himself. I'm going to kill just because I promised him I would. I won't stop until I bury Nick Stokes alive and he dies this time as it was meant to be. So, put the gun to your head and pull the trigger any way you'd like. As for you C.S.I's that are investigating her murder, you're too late for Nick." The voice said tauntingly.

Grissom turned it off. "I'll get this to Archie." Grissom said shortly getting into his car.

Catherine took a look around. She sighed. It was a long night. Brass was beside her side. "Long night," Brass said reading her mind.

"Yeah," Catherine replied dully.

Brass nodded his understanding. "Uh…I better get back to the lab." Catherine said quickly walking to her car.

---Later that Night---

"Catherine, I need you to take another case." Grissom said handing her a piece of paper.

"What? I don't want to do another case!" Catherine said frustrated.

"Please Cath," Grissom said.

Catherine and Grissom fought for a while, but Catherine gave in. She got in her car and arrived at the crime scene and a feeling of uneasiness swept over her.

There was a pile of organs on the pavement. There was a plastic bag with a Styrofoam cup in it. Catherine pulled out her cell phone. "Gil, this is Catherine. I'm at the crime scene. I don't see a police officer. There a pile of organs. There's also a plastic bag with an evidence seal on it. It's happening again!" Catherine said frantically.

Grissom was calm on the other end. "Brass and some other police officers are on their way. Don't get out of the car and lock the doors…" Grissom began.

"I did that." Catherine said.

"Okay, just talk to me…" Grissom began.

Again, Catherine cut him off. "I went to that conference as well, 'How to keep someone calm'," Catherine said.

Catherine saw something moving outside. She saw a child that was bleeding. "There's a little boy outside. He's moving, but he's bleeding from his arm." Catherine said.

"Don't go outside!" Grissom warned.

Catherine's motherly instincts told her that no child was going to hurt her. She walked outside. "Hi, my name's Catherine. Are you hurt?" Catherine asked.

A man came behind her and pushed a white cloth in front of her face and her world with black.

---Five minutes later---

Brass and Grissom walked under the yellow tape. "The little boy here was given ten bucks to put ketchup on his arm and walk in front of the car knowing any good person would come out to help." Brass explained.

Grissom walked up to the little boy. "Do you still have the money?" Grissom asked.

The boy shook his head. Grissom sighed. Nick, Sara, Greg and Warrick all came. "Do we know anything?" Nick asked.

"No," Grissom said.

Grissom opened Catherine's car door. There was a letter on the seat.

_C.S.I's, _

_From kidnapping Nick and burying him alive, I've learned a lot. First is to not give you a chance like Walter insisted on giving you. I'm also not going to give you a live webcam. I'm not going to give the woman an air vent or light. She'll be given a tape recorder, gun and glow sticks. That's it. 2x2x6 Plexiglas coffin has only about an hour or so of air. She'll die as the C.S.I we were supposed to kill. _

_In case you never find he, her tape recorder says, 'Breath in or don't. I don't care. You're going to die. Shoot yourself or wait until you suffocate. You're going to die a stripper who did coke and is a terrible mother. You're friends won't bother finding you. They don't care.' _

_I will not kill anymore after Catherine dies. I will have done what Walter wanted done. He just wanted someone to find the truth, can you find it?_

Nick was slightly shaking. "No air vent," Nick whispered. "Do you know what it was like to feel suffocated? It's something…terrible. How are we going to find her?"

Warrick looked sad. "We've got to do something." Warrick said shortly.

Greg shook his head. "There's no way we can find Catherine in an hour. It took us nearly a day to find Nick and we were almost too late." Greg said.

Lindsay was standing on the other side of the tape. She could hear every word. "When Nick was missing, my mom didn't stop looking. She got the money. She cares about you. You have to find her. I hate her, but I can't stand losing her too…" Lindsay said pleadingly.

Everyone walked over to Lindsay. "We're not giving up." Sara said.


	7. Found

Chapter 7

Found

Catherine woke up in a 2x2x6 Plexiglas coffin. She knew in a second she was going to die. She didn't bother listening to the tape. She knew it wasn't something she wanted to hear. She felt a gun by her side. She also felt a few glow sticks. Catherine closed her eyes.

Catherine knew there wasn't an air vent, no webcam, no light, just a pile of hopelessness. She knew there was no way out. She knew.

Nick walked into the prison where Kelly Gordon was. "What do you know?" Nick asked.

"About Catherine Willows? Oh, I really hoped you died, but you didn't, so why would I tell you about where she is? I hope she dies and suffers." Kelly said angrily.

Grissom was with Nick. "Hey, I had nothing. I would take any one of my team members place in a second. Catherine's got a twelve year old daughter. She cares for Lindsay. I don't have kids or a wife. Are you going to let an innocent girl become an orphan because her mother is a C.S.I?" Nick asked.

"Yes. I'm not taking anything with me. I feel no guilt. You'll never find her body." Kelly said laughing.

Catherine found her breathing was getting shallower and her head became light. She realized she was suffocating. Catherine imagined that when someone died that they would have a flash of their lives and then see a white light. She didn't see either.

She forced herself to remember what she was leaving behind. Her daughter, Nick, Sara, Warrick, Grissom, Greg and many others. She would be leaving behind her job and her life.

Catherine began to cry. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live.

Catherine heard dirt being lifted up off of her. She saw a man. He noticed she was moving and ran. Catherine opened the cover. Catherine wanted to climb out, but she knew there could be explosives under it.

Catherine didn't care at that point. She jumped out. She looked at her surroundings. It was an old cemetery. Catherine noted that the box didn't explode. She was shock and surprised.

Catherine somehow made it to the crime lab. She told the woman working at the desk she needed to see Gil Grissom. The woman looked at her oddly and left.

"Mr. Grissom, there's a very dirty woman asking for you." The woman said.

Grissom walked into the hall. Nick, Sara, Greg and Warrick were behind him. "Catherine!" Grissom shouted.

Greg went to hug her. "Stop!" Catherine said sharply. "I…I'm evidence. Look, I was uncovered by a grave stealer. You know those kids to steal bodies from graves. I was placed under a gravestone with the name Kelly Gordon."

Everyone stopped. "You can change your clothes." Warrick offered.

Catherine smiled. "I'm sorry I sound so nasty. When I was down there, I thought about some stupid things I've done. Like Warrick, I'm happy you married Tina. I've not been so nice to you Sara. Greg, I've always been trying to help myself and not you. Nick, I understood. When I was down there the gun…" Catherine began.

"Looks pretty good. What stopped you?" Nick asked.

"You. All of you. I couldn't do it. I knew you wouldn't find me, but I didn't want to die sooner." Catherine explained.

"Did you listen to the tape recorder?" Greg asked.

"No, I knew it wasn't going to be good." Catherine explained.

Lindsay rushed out. "Do you see now?" Lindsay asked.

Catherine looked at Lindsay. "See what?" Catherine asked.

"While my other friend's mothers are nurses and are safe, my mother isn't. You could have died! You don't even see me each day! I hate you and you don't get it!" Lindsay said trying to make her see.

Catherine shrugged. "I do what I can Linds." Catherine said quietly.

"We've got a crime scene to go to." Grissom said leaving with the team all except Catherine.


	8. Changes

Chapter 8

Changes

Time passed like nothing. It seemed as if all things get better in time. Nick was getting better, but nothing would be the same.

Catherine was the same. She had been scared, but she won't let anyone know. "Hey Catherine," Nick said sitting next to her in the locker room.

Catherine forced a smile. "Hey Nicky," Catherine said.

Nick shook his head. "Why do you do that?" Nick asked.

"Do what?" Catherine asked.

"Pretend," Nick answered swiftly.

Catherine shrugged. "I don't know what you mean." Catherine said softly.

"Yes you do," Nick said.

"Nick…I've been doing it just because it's better if no one knows." Catherine answered slowly.

"I've known. Everyone else has too. It's easy to tell! Maybe they don't care, but I do!" Nick said angrily.

"Well why don't you stop shouting at me? Just leave me be Nick," Catherine said angrily walking out into the hall.

Nick ran after her. "I wasn't done talking." Nick said.

"Yeah? Well I was!" Catherine said in a fierce tone.

Grissom, Sara, Greg and Warrick ran into the hall to see what the commotion was about. "Don't you think I know?" Nick asked.

"Yes! I know you know, but this isn't some stupid story where someone talks to someone else because they know how it feels and it gets better! I'm not going to talk to you Nick about what happened!" Catherine shouted.

"Catherine…" Nick began.

"Save it," Catherine hissed as she walked down the hall.

"I'll be here if you need me…and that's all I wanted to say." Nick called after her.

Catherine stopped. Even when she was mad at him, he had always been so nice to her. "Thanks Nick," Catherine muttered.

"No problem," Nick called back.

Catherine paused for a minute before walking down the hall again. Catherine walked into her black Tahoe and sat in the driver's seat. She closed her eyes. She didn't know why she was so angry at her friends for being friends, but she was. Everything hurt.

----

Nick sat down in the break room. Grissom followed. "I'm not in the mood to talk." Nick said at Grissom sat down.

"Good because I don't know what to say," Grissom said quietly.

The two sat in silence for a long time.

----

Catherine got up the courage to go back inside. She wiped her massacre that was running down her face with her fingers. She saw Nick and Grissom sitting in the break room. Catherine walked in and sat down as well. "I haven't been fair to you Nick…or anyone else in this lab. I'm sorry." Catherine said quietly.

"Yeah, I felt like biting everyone's head off when they asked how I was." Nick said quietly as well.

"Nick, you've been extremely calm. When you felt like biting off everyone's head, you didn't do it, I did." Catherine said.

They were quiet again. "You know everything is different." Nick pointed out.

"Yes, it is." Catherine agreed.

"Warrick got married. I guess I'm happy for him, but he made the biggest mistake of his life." Nick said.

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked.

"Well, Warrick's always liked you. You've always liked Warrick. He should have married you." Nick said. "I would have liked that."

Catherine was quiet. "You know Nick, I'll talk, but we're not going into my love life. The day when Warrick marries me is the day Grissom and Sara realize they like each other." Catherine said jokingly.

"Catherine! I do not like Sara as more than a friend." Grissom said sharply.

It was the first time Catherine remembered Grissom was in the room. "Greg doesn't play loud music in the car on the way to crime scenes, he doesn't joke." Catherine pointed out.

"Sara hasn't changed much." Nick said.

Catherine smiled. "Oh she has and only a woman could tell." Catherine said softly.

"What about you Grissom? How have you changed?" Nick asked.

Grissom shrugged. "I haven't." Grissom lied.

A/N- Sorry it took forever to get this up, but I had to write a 16 page autobiography. I'm only in eighth grade!


	9. Justice

Chapter 9

Justice

A week passed and then another. Catherine and Nick were called into the police station. They walked along the halls together. Many officers were lining the halls as well as lab techs and other C.S.I's. "What's going on Greg?" Nick whispered.

"We got him." Greg whispered back smiling. "We got him."

A man well into his fifties walked down the hall. He seemed to be moving in slow motion. He felt the hate from the police officers, lab techs and C.S.I's. He could feel their burning eyes…

He stopped in front of Catherine and Nick merely staring at them…and they stared back. "You son of a…" Nick began.

Warrick put a hand on Nick's shoulder and Nick did not continue. "Does it bother you Nicky, knowing I won?" The man hissed.

"You haven't won anything. You've just won an all expense paid trip to jail and there's no 'get out of jail for free card'." Catherine said coldly.

The man turned towards her. "You're falling apart inside Ms. Willows. The team is falling apart…" The man taunted.

Catherine looked at Warrick, Nick, Sara, Greg and Grissom. "No, we're getting closer." Catherine said.

"Bitch! I hate C.S.I's…" The man said angrily.

The man made a lunge for Catherine, but the officers restrained him and took him away. "Over, it's all over…" Sara muttered.

"No, it's not. We've still got a lot of things to work out." Nick said.

Catherine and Warrick exchanged quick glances. "At least I've got my justice…" Nick muttered walking out of the police department and out into a new day.

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own C.S.I

A/N- I hope you liked this story. I don't really like it, but if you like it, great! If you liked this story, check out my other stories.

-Kylie Anderson


End file.
